Electromagnetic Force

2 Components of the Electromagnetic Force

• Electric Force – causes static electricity and causes the flow of electric charge to make electrical currents

• Magnetic Force – associated with magnets• Both forces are caused by their fields – the

field produces the force• Electromagnetic force describes the push and

pull of objects based on charge and distance

Coulomb’s Law

• Charged particles exert forces on each other• Like charges repel unlike charges attract (just

like poles of a magnet)• The greater the distance between the charges,

the less force they exert on each other.

Magnetic Force

• Opposite poles of magnets attract while like poles repel – north and south attract, north and north or south and south repel

• The attraction or repulsion is the magnetic field

Electricity and Magnetism

• Electricity and magnetism are components of the same force

• They are dependent on one another and influence each other

• Electricity creates a magnetic field and a magnetic field can be used to produce electricity

Electromagnets

• And electromagnet is made by coiling a wire around a conducting core

• When electricity runs through the wire and core a strong magnetic field is created

• It can be turned on and off by turning the electric current on and off

Induction Generators

• An electric current can be created by moving a magnet though a coil – this is called electromagnetic induction

• Generators use electromagnetic induction to produce an electric current.